Dual action spring bumper and draft gear



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR (ZYLA ATTORNEY DUAL ACTION SPRING BUMPER AND DRAFT GEAR July 4, 1939.

July 4. 1939- R. A. SHIELDs 2,164,594

DUAL ACTION SPRING BUMPER `AND DRAFT GEAR Filed Sept. 9, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2' ATTO R N EY July 4, 1939- R. A. SHIELDs 2,164,594

DUAL ACTION SPRING BUMPER AND DRAFT GR Filed sept. 9, 1957 s sheets-snm s I I l I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I ATTORNEY MAM@ Patented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATES DUAL ACTION SPRII'GABUMPER AND DRAFT Robert A. Shields, Berwick, Pa., assigner to American Car & Foundry Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation oi New Jersey Application september 9, 1937, serial No. 163,081

14 Claims.

This invention relates to spring'bumpers and draft gear in general and in particular to such gear for use on mine or other industrial cars wherein a greater degree of resiliency is desired on draft than on buil. Previously cars have been constructed in which the degree of resistance was greater on buff than on draft but no provision was made for any increased movement and only a part of the springs were used on draft. in all car handling it is desirable-that a greater spring movement be permitted on draft than on in order that greater slack may be provided, thus permitting the locomotive to start a longer train of cars than is possible with a shorter or stier spring movement.

lt is an object, therefore, ci the present invention to provide a spring bumper and draft gear in which a plurality oi springs will act in unison to resist budng :forces with a certain degree of ireedoin, and also act to provide a greater degree ci freedom to resist draft forces.

il further object of the invention isfthe provision oi a combined bumper and draft gear in which a plurality ci springs act in parallel to resist boiling forces and in series toresist draft forces.

A still further object of the invention is the provision oi a combined bumper and draft gear in which a plurality of springs function in unison to give substantially twice the resistance with half the movement on buff than on draft.

A yet further object of the invention is the provision oi a dual action spring bumper and draft gear which may be readily applied as a unit to new or existing structures without any substantial modification.

lhese and other objects of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from a study of the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a plan View of the improved device with parts broken away to better disclose the construction;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 3 3 of Fig. l;

Fig. i is an end view of the device partly in section and taken on line 4 4 'of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a plan'view similar to Fig; 1 but showing a modification thereof, and

Fig. 6 is a sectional View taken substantially on line @-6 of Fig. 5.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that the bumper and draft gear have been applied to an end member preferably cast in one y piece and secured at its ends to the side sills 2 which in the present instance are formed by lnverted bulb angles. The end member itself is formed with a horizontal portion 3 supporting the floor 4 and in turn being joined by an upwardly inclined portion 5 to the upper horizontal portion t. The upper horizontal portion is substantially in alignment with the upper flange of the bulb angle sills and merges at its forward edge into the vertical wall 'l oi the end member as clearly shown by Figs. 2 and 3. 'Upper and lower flanges El and t respectively extend outwardly from the vertical wall, thus forming substantially a channel-shaped end member backed by the bracing portion just described and by ribs i which are formed integral witlrthe rear wall and the lnclined portion oi the end member. The upper flange has its central portion raised upwardly as at l2 and is joined to the upwardly extended end wall thus forming a raised part adapted to receive the coupler portion of the bumper and draft element later to be described. The ends oi the upper and lower portions ci 'the end member as Well as the inclined portion and outwardly directed flanges are joined by means of end walls i4 adapted to receive securing means such as rivets l in order that the member may be rigidly secured to the side sills and form a rigid tie therebetween. 'it will, ci course, be obvious that this or a similar member may be fabricated as by welding or riveting together pressings or plates, and that the casting described ls merely illustrative.

The combined bumper and draft element is in the present instance formed as a single casting having upper and lower rearwardly directed flanges ,i6 and il joined at their ends by end walls I8 and at their forward edges by curved vertical wall which will provide the bufling surfaces. The curved vertical wall is preferably formed with depressed portions providing outer and inner flat surfaces 2l and 22 adapted to cooperate with elements of the spring units later to be described. The upper ange of the bumper and draft element is formed adjacent its central portion with an upwardly and outwardlly extending projection 24 thus providing space for a coupling link (not shown), and this projection as well as the upper and lower flange of the combined bumper and draft element is formed with aligned openings 26 adapted to receive the coupling pin 21. The upper and lower anges of the element are formed adjacent their ends with elongated slots 28 through which project the retaining bolts or pins 29 flrmly anchored at their upper and lower ends in the upperand lower flanges of the end member, thus retaining the element in assembled relation with the end member.

In the form shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive the flat portions 22 of the combined bumper and draft element are pierced as at 30 in order to receive rearwardly extending draft bolts 3| upon which are mounted outer followers 32 and inner followers 33 held in position by nuts 34 and tie or stop bar 36. The inner and outer followers are substantially identical and are formed with a shouldered portion 38 upon which the adjacent end of a coil spring 4l! bears held in position by the draft bolt. The shoulder of the inner follower 33 bears upon the vertical wall of the end member, while the shoulder of the' outer follower bears upon the inner surface of a floating yoke member. In the present instance this floating yoke or draft transferring member is formed by a pair of Z elements having webs 42, inwardly directed flanges 43 and outwardly directed flanges 44, upon the latter of which are positioned spring centering lugs 45. The edges of these Z-bars are joined together by means of an upper plate 41 and a lower plate 48, having their ends tapered as at 49 and their forward edges notched as at 50 in order to permit outward movement of the yoke member relative to the coupling pin. It is thus seen that this yoke member is formed with a substantially box-like central portion within which the coil springs 40 are accommodated and outwardly of which are the seats for springs 52 bearing at one end upon the flange 44 and at the other end upon shoulder 53 of movable stop blocks 54. Each of the stop blocks is formed with a spring centering lug 56 and a projecting portion adapted to bear upon the flat surface 2| of the bumper and draft element in order to receive bufllng forces therefrom and transfer them to the springs. The projections of the stop blocks are slotted as at 51 in order to permit inward movement of the stop blocks relative to the retaining pins previously referred to during transfer of the bufflng forces to the springs.

The operation of the device just described is as follows and assuming the parts to be in neutral position as shown in Figure l: Upon application of a buillng force the bufllng element will move inwardly forcing the outer followers 32 and stop blocks 54 inwardly, thus compressing the springs 40 and 52 equally and in unison since they are held against inward movement by the inner followers and by flanges 44 of the floating yoke bearing upon the vertical wall of the end member. The inward movement of the combined bumper and draft element is permitted due to the sliding of the draft bolts 3l in their followers and the movement of the element past the retaining bolts 29 due to the slots 28. Upon application of a draft force to the combined bumper and draft element this element will be carried outwardly causing the draft bolts to be placed in tension and transferring the draft to the rear followers. These rear followers will move outwardly compressing the springs 40 and causing them to transmit the draft force through the shoulders of the forward followers to the flanges 43 of the floating yoke member, which in turn transfers the draft force to the inner ends of the springs ,52. These springs 52 are compressed by the outward movement of the flange 44 of the floating yoke member since their outer ends are held by means of the stop blocks 54 and retain-- ing pins ze rigid with the end rllemter.V It is thus seen that upon application of a bufllng to resist the force, while upon application of a draft force all springs act in unison but in series parallel relation; that is, the inner springs 40 and outer springs 52 are in series. Such an arrangement will give a high resistance with short movement for bufllng forces and half this resistance with twice the movement for draft forces. It should be noted that the increased movement during ldraft is permitted due to the large elongation of the slots 28 and the long movement permitted the draft bolts before the stop bar or check 36 will strike the vertical wall of the end member.

In some instances it may be desirable to eliminate the use of the draft bolts and rear followers, thus permitting the use of an imperforate vertical wall on the end member as shown in Figures 5 and 6. Referring now to these figures it will be seen that the major portion of the assembly is the same as that just described and accordingly the same reference numerals have been used wherever possible'. In this form a loose draft member is substituted for the draft bolts and is formed preferably as a casting with a U-shaped central portion 64 terminating in outwardly directed flanges 65 upon which are formed spring centering lugs 6B. The U-shaped portion and flanges are joined together and braced by means of upper and lower walls 68 and 10, thus forming an extremely strong member with a substantially box section central portion, upon either side of which are braced spring receiving portions. The forward part of the central portion is slotted as at 12 in order to permit the rearward movement of the coupling pin during application of bufllng forces. The innerends of the springs 40 bear upon the flanges 65 of this loose draft member and will be compressed by outward movement oi' the loose draft member or by inward movement of the outer followers since the loose draft member bears directly upon the vertical wall of the end member. It will be clearly seen that the box like draft member and reinforced floating yoke member will rest directly against the web of the end member to strength the same and assist in resisting buing shocks which must ultimately be absorbed by the end member.

In this form bufllng fbi'ces are absorbed by the springs due to the inward movement cf the outer followers and stop blocks exactly as described with respect to Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, while draft forces will be absorbed in exactly the same manner with exception that the loose draft member imparts the draft force to the inner ends of the springs 40 during its outward movement in unison with the bumper and draft element to which it is attached by the coupling pin 21. Attention is directed to the fact that with both forms of construction described the outward movement of the floating yoke member and compression of the springs in series under the draft forces is permitted due to the fact that the bumper and draft element will move outward substantially twice the distance moved by the floating yoke member.

While the device has been described more or less in detail, it is obvious that various modifications and rearrangements of parts will be apparent to persons skilled in the art and all such modifications and rearrangements of parts are contemplated as fall within the scope of the following claims.v

, force all four springs act in parallel and4 in unison What is claimed is:

1. In a dual action draft and Vbuffer gear for cars, the combination with a lsupporting end member; of a combined draft and buffer element slidably mounted for inward and outward movement on the supporting member, yieldable means resisting inward and outward movement of said element under bufflng and draft forces respectively, means interposed between said element and said yieldable means for the transfer of bufllng and draft forces thereto, and floating yoke means slidably carried by said end member for outward movement relative thereto, said yoke means interconnecting certain of said yieldable means in pairs for the transfer of draft forces directly from one yieldable means to the other whereby the equivalent height of said yieldable means is doubled to receive the draft forces.

2. In a dual action draft Vand buffer gear for cars, the` combination with a supporting end member; of a combined draft and buffer element slidably mounted for inward and outward movement on the supporting member, yieldable means resisting inward and outward movement of said element under buffing and draft forces respectively, means interposed between said element and said yieldable means for the transfer of bufflng and draft forces, said yieldable means acting in parallel to provide a high resistance with slight movement of the element for bufling forces,'and floating yoke means slidably carried by said end member for outward movement relative thereto, said yoke means interconnecting certain of said yieldable means in pairs for the transfer of draft forces directly from one yieldable means to the4 other whereby the resistance is decreased and movement of the elementincreased for draft forces.

3. In a dual action draft and buffer gear for cars, the combination with a supporting end member; of a combined draft and buffer element slidably mounted for inward and outward movement on the supporting member, yieldable means resisting inward and outward movement of said element under bufiing and draft forces respectively, means interposed between said element and said yieldable means for the transfer of buiing forces, additional means interposed between said element and the yieldable means for the transfer of draft forces, said yieldable means acting u in parallel to resist buing forces, and floating yoke means interconnecting certain of said yieldable means in pairs for transfer of draft'forces directly from one yieldable means to the other whereby said yieldable means will act in series to resist draft forces.

4. In a dual action draft and buffer gear for cars, the combination with a supporting end member; of a combined draft and buffer element slidably mounted for inward and outward movement on the supporting member, at least four springs supported by the end member and yieldingly resisting inward and outward movement of said element under buil-lng and draft forces respectively, means interposed between said element and said springs for the transfer of buffing and draft forces thereto, and floating yoke means slidably carried by said end member for outward movement against two of said springs, said yoke means being moved outwardly'by the other two springs thereby transferring the draft forces and doubling the effective height of the springs for yieldingly resisting inward and outward move- Ayieldingly resisting inward and outward move- -ment of said element under bufling and draft resilient means for the transfer of bufiing forces inner ends of certain of said resilient means and member.; of a combined draft and buffer element slidably mounted for inward and outward movement on the supporting member, resilient means' ment of said element under bufling and draft forces respectively, follower means. interposed between said element and the outer ends of said resilient means 'for-the transfer of builing forces thereto, draft means connecting the element and inner ends of certain of said resilient means for the transfer of draft forces thereto, floating yoke means slidably carried by said end member for outward movement under action of said certain of said resilient means against the remainder of said resilient means, andmeans connecting the outer ends of said remainder of said resilient means to the supporting end member.

6. In a dual action draft and buffer gear for cars, the combination with a supporting end member; of a combined draft and buffer element slidably mounted for inward and outward movement on the supporting member, resilient means forces respectively, follower means interposed between said element and the outer ends of said resilient means for the transfer of buing forces thereto, draft means connecting the element and inner ends of certain of said resilient means for the transfer of draft forces thereto, floating yoke means slidably carried by said end member for outward movement underl action of said certain of said resilient means against the remainder of said resilient means, and means connecting the outer ends of said remainder of said resilient means to the supporting end member, said draft means and floating yoke means bearing against the end member for the transfer of buiiing forces thereto from the resilient means.

7. In a dual action draft and buffer gear for cars, the combination with a supporting end member; of a combined draft and buffer element slidably mounted for-inward and outward movement on the supportingl member, resilient means yieldingly resisting inward and outward movementV of said element under buing and draft forces respectively, follower means interposed between said lelement and the outer ends of said thereto, draft bolts extending through certain of said resilient'means and connecting the inner ends thereof with said element, a floating yoke member engaging the outer ends of said certain of said resilient means and also engaging the inner ends of' the remainder of said resilient means forv the transfer of draft forces, and means anchoring the outer ends of said remainder of said resilient means to the end member.

8. In a dual action draft and buffer gear for cars, the combination with a supporting end member; of a combined draft and buffer element slidably mounted for inward and outward movement on the supporting member, resilient means yieldingly resisting inward and outward movement of said element under bufiing and draft forces respectively, follower means interposed between said element and the outer ends of said resilient means for the transfer of bufiing forcesl thereto, a floating yoke member engaging the the outer ends of certain other of said resilient means for the transfer of draft forces therebetween, means anchoring the outer ends of said certain of said resilient means to the end member, andV draft means connecting the element-and the inner ends of said certain other resilient means, said draft means and yoke member normally abutting. the end member for transfer of builing forces.

9. In a dual action draft and buffer gear for cars, the combination with a supporting end member having a vertical web and outwardly directed top and bottom flanges; of a combined draft and buffer element slidably mounted between the flanges for inward and outward movement, a plurality of pairs of springs interposed between the element and the vertical web of the end member, follower means bearing against said springs and element for the transfer of bufling forces, anchor means extending between the flanges of the end member and engaging certain of said followersato' prevent outward movement of said certain of said followers, floating yoke means connecting the outer end of one spring to the inner end of the other spring of each pair of springs for the transfer of draft forces, and draft means connecting said element to the inner ends of one spring of each pair.

10. In a dual action draft and buffer gear for cars, the combination with a supporting end member having a vertical web and outwardly directed top and bottom flanges; of a combined draft and buffer element slidably mounted between the flanges for inward and outward movement, a plurality of pairs of springs interposed between the element and the vertical web of the end member, follower means bearing against said springs and element for the transfer of buffing forces, anchor means extending between the flanges of the end member and engaging certain of said followers to prevent outward movement of said certain of said followers, floating yoke means connecting the outer end of one spring to the inner end of the other spring of each pair of springs for the transfer of draft forces, and draft means connecting said element to the inner ends of one spring of each pair, said yoke means and at least a portion of said draft means normally resting against the vertical web of the end member to reinforce the same and transfer buffng forces thereto from the pairs of springs.

11. In a draft gear for cars, the combination with a supporting member, of a draft element slidably mounted on the supporting member for inward and outward movement, yeldable means located in side by side relationship and resisting the outward movement of said element under draft forces, means anchoring one end of at least one of said yeldable means to the supporting member, means interposed between said draft element and at least one other of said yeldable means, and floating yoke means slidably carried by the supporting member for outward movement relative to the supporting member, said floating yoke means connecting the outer ends of said yeldable means with the inner ends of the adjacent yeldable means whereby said yieldable means will act in series to resist draft forces.

12. In a draft gear for cars, the combination with a supporting member, of a draft element slidably mounted on the supporting member for inward and outward movement, at least two yeldable means having their inner and outer ends located substantially adjacent each other and resisting the outward movement of said element under draft forces, means anchoring one end of one of said yeldable means to the supporting member to prevent movement of said end when the yeldable means is subjected to draft forces, means interposed between said draft element and one end of the other of said yieldable means for the transfer of draft forces from said draft element to said last named end, and floating yoke means slidably carried by the supporting member, said floating yoke means connecting the other ends of said yeldable means together whereby said yeldable means will act in series to resist draft forces.

13. In a dual action draft and buffer gear for cars, the combination with a supporting end member, of a combined draft and buffer element slidably mounted for inward and outward movement on the supporting member, resilient means yieldingly resisting inward and outward movement of said element under bufllng and draft forces respectively, inner and outer front follower means interposed between said element and the outer ends of said resilient means for the transfer of builing forces thereto, draft bolts extending through certain of said resilient means and connecting the inner ends thereof with said element, a floating yoke member engaging the outer ends of certain of said resilient means and also engaging the inner ends of the remainder of said resilient means for the transfer of draft forces, and anchor means connecting the outer ends of said remainder of said resilient means to the end member, said anchor means having slidable engagement with the outer followers to permit inward movement thereof, while preventing outward movement thereof.

14. In a dual action draft and buffer gear for cars, the combination with a supporting eno member, of a combined draft and buffer element slidably mounted for inward and outward movement on the supporting member, resilient means yieldingly resisting inward and outward movement of said element under bufng and draft forces respectively, inner and outer front follower means interposed between said element and the outer ends of said resilient means for the transfer of bulng forces thereto, draft bolts extending through certain of said resilient means and connecting the inner ends thereof with said element, a floating yoke member engaging the outer ends of certain of said resilient means and also engaging the inner ends of the remainder of said resilient means for the transfer of draft forces, and anchor means connecting the outer ends of said remainder of said resilient means to the end member, said anchor means having slidable engagement with the outer followers to permit inward movement thereof, while preventing outward movement thereof, and said floating yoke member slidably engaging said inner followers to permit inward movement of the latter.

ROBERT A. SHIELDS. 

